Telematic communication units (TCU's), include devices such as cellular phones, personal data assistants (PDA's), Global Positioning System (GPS) devices, and on-board Vehicle Communication Units (VCU's). When used in conjunction with a Wide Area Network (WAN), such as a cellular telephone network or a satellite communication system, TCU's have made it possible for a person to send and receive voice communications, data transmissions, and facsimile (FAX) messages from virtually anywhere on earth. Such communication is initiated at the TCU when it is turned on, or by entering a phone number to be called, or in many cases, by pressing a preprogrammed button on the TCU or speaking a voice command causing the TCU to automatically complete the process of dialing the number to be called. A radio communication link may be established between the TCU and a Wide Area Network (WAN), using a node of the WAN near the TCU.
In cellular telephone systems, a node is commonly referred to as a “cellular base station.” Once a radio communication link between the TCU and the cellular base station has been established, the base station may utilize a combination of additional cellular stations, conventional telephone wire line networks, and possibly even satellite systems to connect the TCU to the number to be called.
Prior to the TCU being permitted access to a communication system however, it must first be activated. Typically, TCU activation requires that TCU specific information or a response to an activation query be keyed into the TCU manually, often by a vendor of the TCU. The information or response may be determined by the vendor using data provided with the device and from personal knowledge of proper replies for over-the-air service provisioning (OTASP) requests. Since the proper response relies on the vendor's personal knowledge and interpretive responses to be manually keyed into the TCU, an inaccurate or inappropriate data transmission may occur.
Some TCU's may also require activation over multiple service providers, such as a TCU used in conjunction with a wireless communication services provider and a mobile vehicle communication system (MVCS), or may require activation in communication with associated optional equipment. The mobile vehicle communication system may offer such services to the TCU user as navigation, providing location and destination information, roadside assistance, and may additionally offer aid in the motor vehicles operation. The optional equipment required to function in unison with the TCU and the MVCS service can include a mobile vehicle, a GPS, and/or numerous other optional peripherals. When multiple service providers or communication systems require a TCU to be proprietarily initialized, manually keyed responses must again be supplied, and in a fashion that may be proprietary for each. In addition, if the TCU is associated with optional equipment, the optional equipments attributes may also be required for system or equipment initialization. This may provide multiple opportunities for the inaccurate or misinterpreted data to be manually inserted.
Thus, there is a significant need for a method and system for refining the initialization of a telematic communication unit and it's associated equipment that overcome the above disadvantages and shortcomings, as well as other disadvantages.